Seventeen-year-old Mare Barrow is a Red and a thief living with her parents, Daniel and Ruth, and younger sister, Gisa, in a village known as the Stilts.

When Mare learns that her best friend, Kilorn Warren, will be conscripted after the death of his master, she plans an escape and meets with a colleague, Will Whistle, who directs her to a woman named, Farley, who as the captain of the Scarlet Guard, a rebel group composed of Reds who want to bring equality between their people and the Silvers.

Unable to bear the guilt she feels towards her sister, Mare goes to a tavern and began stealing from random people to occupy her thoughts.

Mare is permitted to say goodbye to her family by Cal and learns the return of her brothers, Bree and Tramy, but not Shade, who was beheaded by Silver officers for reported desertion.

Due to the attack made by the Scarlet Guard, the Reds are punished by the Silvers with the lowering of the age of conscription from eighteen to fifteen.

Shade also had the mutation, which was why he was executed; the only reason Mare was spared was because her powers manifested while she was viewed by many Silver onlookers, thus preventing a cover-up.

After another meeting with Farley in a free zone that the Silvers have been avoiding, Mare, at Maven's suggestion, infiltrates the king's residence in the capital, Archeon.

Elara then uses her power of mind control to force Cal to kill his father on live television, thus branding him and Mare traitors and allowing Maven to be crowned king instead.

It is also revealed that Elara had indirectly killed Tiberias's first wife, Queen Coriane, many years ago in order to gain more power.

[6] Vilma Gonzalez of USA Today described the novel positively, revealing that "Aveyard’s compelling debut is richly imagined, addictive, chilling and suspenseful.

"[10] Publishers Weekly found "There’s an unmistakable feeling of deja vu to this first installment in the Red Queen trilogy, which shares several plot points and similarities with the Hunger Games series, ... Fortunately, Aveyard’s conclusion leaves the story poised to depart from this derivative setup.

"[11] Common Sense Media wrote "With its courageous protagonist, action-packed plot, and romantic possibilities, Red Queen is a winning series start for fantasy and dystopia lovers.

"[12] Gennifer Hutchison, a writer and producer on Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, was hired in 2015 by Universal Pictures to adapt the novel into a feature film.